scholarly journals Colour Preferences of UK Garden Birds at Supplementary Seed Feeders

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luke Rothery ◽  
Graham W. Scott ◽  
Lesley J. Morrell
Keyword(s):  
Colour Vision ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Common Garden ◽  
Supplementary Feeding ◽  
Bird Populations ◽  
Food Items ◽  
Human Wellbeing ◽  
Garden Birds ◽  
Number Of Visits ◽  
Colour Preferences

AbstractSupplementary feeding of garden birds has benefits for both bird populations and human wellbeing. Birds have excellent colour vision, and show preferences for food items of particular colours, but research into colour preferences associated with artificial feeders is limited to hummingbirds. Here, we investigated the colour preferences of common UK garden birds foraging at seed-dispensing artificial feeders containing identical food. We presented birds simultaneously with an array of eight differently coloured feeders, and recorded the number of visits made to each colour over 370 30-minute observation periods in the winter of 2014/15. In addition, we surveyed visitors to a garden centre and science festival to determine the colour preferences of likely purchasers of seed feeders. Our results suggest that silver and green feeders were visited by higher numbers of individuals of several common garden bird species, while red and yellow feeders received fewer visits. In contrast, people preferred red, yellow, blue and green feeders.

scholarly journals The Occurence of Ecological Traps in Bird Populations: Is our Knowledge Sufficient? A Review

2012 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 36-56 ◽  
Author(s):  
Petr Suvorov ◽  
Jana Svobodová
Keyword(s):  
Exotic Species ◽  
Species Conservation ◽  
Habitat Type ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Ecological Trap ◽  
Native Communities ◽  
Bird Populations ◽  
Suburban Areas ◽  
Arable Fields ◽  
Insufficient Time

ABSTRACT Anthropogenic changes in a landscape create new cues for birds, which must permanently adapt to these. If landscape changes occur too quickly, individuals have insufficient time to develop adequate reactions. They may, therefore, preferentially nest in low-quality habitats, which can lead to diminished nesting success and to reduction of their population size. This is usually termed the ecological trap hypothesis. We reviewed 38 studies investigating this phenomenon and analysed whether relationships exist between ecological trap occurrence and geographical region, habitat type, and/or life strategies of bird species. Ecological traps were most often associated with the presence of exotic species. Exotic species can modify environmental conditions in ways to which native communities are not adapted. They have been mainly detected in open habitats. Such open habitats as arable fields and meadows are under greater human pressure, and rapid changes probably occur there more frequently. Although more studies from North America were investigated, the hypothesis was supported more frequently in European studies. This is possibly due to higher human population density and, hence, more frequent habitat changes. Our results show that an ecological trap is not likely associated with migration. Ground nests suffered fewer consequences of such traps than did other nest types. Although the implications of the ecological trap hypothesis in species conservation are undisputable, a more detailed approach is still needed. For instance, some habitat types, such as suburban areas, have been neglected in the context of ecological traps, as has been the phenomenon’s appearance in pristine habitats.

Additive negative effects of Philornis nest parasitism on small and declining Neotropical bird populations

2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (03) ◽  
pp. 339-360 ◽  
Author(s):  
MARIANA BULGARELLA ◽  
MARTÍN A. QUIROGA ◽  
GEORGE E. HEIMPEL
Keyword(s):  
Bird Species ◽  
Field Studies ◽  
Habitat Destruction ◽  
Biological Information ◽  
Mortality Factor ◽  
Healthy Population ◽  
Small Populations ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Nest Parasitism ◽  
Bird Populations

SummaryThe declining-population paradigm holds that small populations are particularly vulnerable to anthropogenic influences such as habitat destruction, pollution and species introductions. While the effects of particular stressors, such as parasitism, may be unimportant in a large, healthy population, they can be serious and even devastating in situations characterised by a restricted geographic range, or by fragmented or reduced population sizes. We apply this idea to nest parasitism of threatened Neotropical bird species that exist in small populations, focusing on dipteran nest parasites in the genusPhilornis. We review the literature onPhilornisparasitism exerting negative pressure on bird populations that have become small and isolated due to human actions and present a new case ofPhilornisparasitism of a threatened hummingbird species. Our aim is to raise awareness about the exacerbating effect that nest parasites can have on small and declining bird populations; especially when biological information is scarce. The five reviewed cases involve two species of Darwin’s Finches in the Galápagos Islands attacked by the invasiveP. downsi, two species of hawks on islands in the Caribbean attacked by the nativeP. piciandP. obscura, and the Yellow CardinalGubernatrix cristatain southern South America attacked by an unknownPhilornisspecies. We also present new documentation of parasitism of a threatened hummingbird species in mainland Ecuador by an unidentifiedPhilornisspecies. We recommend more field studies to determine the presence of nest parasites in bird populations worldwide to improve understanding how nest parasites affect bird fitness and population viability and to allow time to act in advance if needed. Parasitism byPhilornismay represent a severe mortality factor in most already threatened bird species, putting them at greater risk of extinction. Therefore, parasitism management should be included in all threatened species recovery plans.

scholarly journals Diet of Ornate Hawk-Eagle (Spizaetus ornatus)

2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fagner Daniel Teixeira ◽  
Elisa Paraíso Mesquita ◽  
Michele Alves Ferreira ◽  
Felipe Carvalho de Araújo
Keyword(s):  
Literature Review ◽  
Field Observation ◽  
Food Habits ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Young Individual ◽  
Top Predator ◽  
Espinhaço Range ◽  
Food Items ◽  
Minas Gerais State ◽  
Report Data

AbstractThe Ornate Hawk-Eagle (Spizaetus ornatus) is a top predator and inhabits mainly preserved forests. It occurs from Mexico to Argentina and throughout Brazil, where it is threatened by extinction. It hunts birds, mammals and reptiles, picking up both on the ground and on the branches in the forest. Here we report data on a pair and one young individual of this species registered in the southeast of Minas Gerais state, eastern portion of the Espinhaço Range, Brazil. In addition, a literature review on the diet of the species was carried out aiming gather data on food habits. The nesting territory, as well as the nest was discovered in semi-deciduous seasonal forest area. We recorded predation of a Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture (Cathartes burrovianus) by the young. After two days of observation, the nest was overthrown, what allowed its screening for other food items discovered after analysis of some feathers and bones. Detailed records of predation of S. ornatus were non-existent or inaccurate. Taking together our own field observation and the literature review, we found 121 taxa consumed by S. ornatus. A total of 78 bird species were reported, mainly Galliformes, followed by medium-sized mammals (38 species), well represented by Rodentia and Primates.

scholarly journals Azure-winged magpies’ decisions to share food are contingent on the presence or absence of food for the recipient

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jorg J. M. Massen ◽  
Sofia M. Haley ◽  
Thomas Bugnyar
Keyword(s):  
Bird Species ◽  
Social Awareness ◽  
Equal Access ◽  
Base Line ◽  
Vocal Cues ◽  
Food Items ◽  
Helping Others ◽  
Opposite Sex ◽  
High Level ◽  
Sharing Behavior

Abstract Helping others is a key feature of human behavior. However, recent studies render this feature not uniquely human, and describe discoveries of prosocial behavior in non-human primates, other social mammals, and most recently in some bird species. Nevertheless, the cognitive underpinnings of this prosociality; i.e., whether animals take others’ need for help into account, often remain obscured. In this study, we take a first step in investigating prosociality in azure-winged magpies by presenting them with the opportunity to share highly desired food with their conspecifics i) in a situation in which these conspecifics had no such food, ii) in a situation in which they too had access to that highly desired food, and iii) in an open, base-line, situation where all had equal access to the same food and could move around freely. We find that azure-winged magpies regularly share high-value food items, preferably with, but not restricted to, members of the opposite sex. Most notably, we find that these birds, and specifically the females, seem to differentiate between whether others have food or do not have food, and subsequently cater to that lack. Begging calls by those without food seem to function as cues that elicit the food-sharing, but the response to that begging is condition-dependent. Moreover, analyses on a restricted dataset that excluded those events in which there was begging showed exactly the same patterns, raising the possibility that the azure-winged magpies might truly notice when others have access to fewer resources (even in the absence of vocal cues). This sharing behavior could indicate a high level of social awareness and prosociality that should be further investigated. Further studies are needed to establish the order of intentionality at play in this system, and whether azure-winged magpies might be able to attribute desire states to their conspecifics.

scholarly journals Unhatched eggs represent the invisible fraction in two wild bird populations

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 20190763 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicola Hemmings ◽  
Simon Evans
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Wild Bird ◽  
Evolutionary Dynamics ◽  
Population Studies ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Fertilization Failure ◽  
Bird Populations ◽  
Life History Data ◽  
Evolutionary Inference ◽  
The Invisible

Prenatal mortality is typically overlooked in population studies, which biases evolutionary inference by confounding selection and inheritance. Birds represent an opportunity to include this ‘invisible fraction’ if each egg contains a zygote, but whether hatching failure is caused by fertilization failure versus prenatal mortality is largely unknown. We quantified fertilization failure rates in two bird species that are popular systems for studying evolutionary dynamics and found that overwhelming majorities (99.9%) of laid eggs were fertilized. These systems thus present opportunities to eliminate the invisible fraction from life-history data.

scholarly journals Molecular Epidemiology of Campylobacter jejuni Isolates from Wild-Bird Fecal Material in Children's Playgrounds

2008 ◽  
Vol 75 (3) ◽  
pp. 779-783 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nigel P. French ◽  
Anne Midwinter ◽  
Barbara Holland ◽  
Julie Collins-Emerson ◽  
Rebecca Pattison ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Campylobacter Jejuni ◽  
Wild Bird ◽  
Wild Birds ◽  
Fecal Material ◽  
Bird Populations ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Garden Birds ◽  
The 19Th Century ◽  
Children Under 5

ABSTRACT In many countries relatively high notification rates of campylobacteriosis are observed in children under 5 years of age. Few studies have considered the role that environmental exposure plays in the epidemiology of these cases. Wild birds inhabit parks and playgrounds and are recognized carriers of Campylobacter, and young children are at greater risk of ingesting infective material due to their frequent hand-mouth contact. We investigated wild-bird fecal contamination in playgrounds in parks in a New Zealand city. A total of 192 samples of fresh and dried fecal material were cultured to determine the presence of Campylobacter spp. Campylobacter jejuni isolates were also characterized by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and multilocus sequence typing (MLST), and the profiles obtained were compared with those of human isolates. C. jejuni was isolated from 12.5% of the samples. MLST identified members of clonal complexes ST-45, ST-682, and ST-177; all of these complexes have been recovered from wild birds in Europe. PFGE of ST-45 isolates resulted in profiles indistinguishable from those of isolated obtained from human cases in New Zealand. Members of the ST-177 and ST-682 complexes have been found in starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) in the United Kingdom, and these birds were common in playgrounds investigated in New Zealand in this study. We suggest that feces from wild birds in playgrounds could contribute to the occurrence of campylobacteriosis in preschool children. Further, the C. jejuni isolates obtained in this study belonged to clonal complexes associated with wild-bird populations in the northern hemisphere and could have been introduced into New Zealand in imported wild garden birds in the 19th century.

Comparison of Bird Populations in Remnants of Wandoo Woodland and in Adjacent Farmland.

1987 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 331 ◽  
Author(s):  
GW Arnold ◽  
RA Maller ◽  
R Litchfield
Keyword(s):  
Western Australia ◽  
Seasonal Changes ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Bird Populations ◽  
Scattered Trees ◽  
Open Woodland

Data were obtained during 2 yr at Baker's Hill, Western Australia, in farmland with no trees, scattered trees or clumps of trees and 3 types of open woodland. There were differences in the number of bird species found in each habitat, ranging from 25 in woodland habitats to 11 in open farmland. In autumn, there were more aerial feeders in open farmland and farmland with few trees than in farmland with many trees and woodland, but fewer in spring. There were more ground-feeding seed-eaters in farmland with trees than elsewhere, except in autumn. There were large seasonal reciprocal changes in the numbers of thornbills in farmland with many trees and woodland, indicating movement between habitats. Within the woodland habitats there were only small seasonal changes, but there were large differences in numbers of some groups between the 3 habitats.

scholarly journals Phenology and frugivory by birds on Miconia ligustroides (MELASTOMATACEAE) in a fragment of cerrado, southeastern Brazil

2012 ◽  
Vol 72 (4) ◽  
pp. 859-864 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Allenspach ◽  
M. Telles ◽  
MM. Dias
Keyword(s):  
Bird Species ◽  
Food Shortage ◽  
Southeastern Brazil ◽  
Parent Plant ◽  
Fruit Consumption ◽  
Cerrado Vegetation ◽  
Number Of Visits ◽  
Low Incidence

We identified the avian assembly that consumes Miconia ligustroides (Melastomataceae) fruit and described its phenophases in a fragment of cerrado vegetation located in southeastern Brazil. The fruiting period occurred between March and June, a period of food shortage. In 2005 and 2008, we registered eighteen bird species consuming fruits, during 156 hours of observations. Species of the families Thraupidae and Tyrannidae were the most representative in the number of visits and fruit consumption. Short visits (less than three minutes) and low incidence of defecation apparently indicate that seeds may be released far from the parent-plant, suggesting dispersal efficiency by the studied assembly. Owing to its characteristics, we believe Miconia ligustroides may be useful in the restoration of degraded areas.

scholarly journals Molecular Characterization and Antimicrobial Susceptibility of C. jejuni Isolates from Italian Wild Bird Populations

Pathogens ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 304 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesca Marotta ◽  
Anna Janowicz ◽  
Lisa Di Marcantonio ◽  
Claudia Ercole ◽  
Guido Di Donato ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nalidixic Acid ◽  
Point Mutations ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Acid Resistance ◽  
Wild Birds ◽  
23S Rrna ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Phenotypic Resistance ◽  
Bird Populations ◽  
Sequence Types

Poultry is considered a major reservoir of human campylobacteriosis. It also been reported that not only poultry, but also wild birds, are capable of carrying C. jejuni, thus demonstrating to be a risk of spreading the bacteria in the environment. To gain insight into the population structure and investigate the antimicrobial resistance genotypes and phenotypes, we analyzed a collection of 135 C. jejuni from 15 species of wild birds in Italy. MLST revealed the presence of 41 sequence types (STs) and 13 clonal complexes (CCs). ST-179 complex and the generalist ST-45 complex were the most prevalent. Core genome MLST revealed that C. jejuni from ST-45 complex clustered according to the bird species, unlike the ST-179 complex which featured 3 different species in the same cluster. Overall we found a moderate prevalence of resistance to tetracycline (12.5%), ciprofloxacin and nalidixic acid (10%). The novel ST isolated from one pigeon showed resistance to all the antibiotics tested. The ST-179 complex (33.3%) was identified with significantly higher nalidixic acid resistance relative to other tested STs. Nine AMR genes (tet(O), cmeA, cmeB, cmeC, cmeR, aad, blaOXA-61, blaOXA-184 and erm(B)) and 23S rRNA and gyrA-associated point mutations were also described, indicating a concordance level between genotypic and phenotypic resistance of 23.3%, 23.4% and of 37.5% for streptomycin, tetracycline and quinolones/fluoroquinolones, respectively. We recommend that particular attention should be given to wild birds as key sentinel animals for the ecosystem contamination surveillance.

scholarly journals New records of 45 bird species in the desert margins area of the North-West Province, South Africa

Koedoe ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Hudson ◽  
H. Bouwman
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Conservation Planning ◽  
New Records ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
North West ◽  
Additional Information ◽  
The North ◽  
North West Province ◽  
Human Habitation ◽  
Number Of Visits

New records and possible range extensions are reported on 45 bird species (ca 25% of the 167 species recorded during surveys) in the Bophirima district of the North-West Province, South Africa. The findings were compared with data in The Atlas of Southern African Birds. The main reasons for these new records may be ascribed to the low number of visits during the atlas project, higher precipitation during the time of our observations versus that of the atlas project, and possibly an increased suitability of the area for some bird species due to human habitation. These new records also provide additional information that may be useful in conservation planning, especially in arid areas. Heuningvlei Pan in particular, should be considered for additional conservation measures.

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